Knockdown article of furniture.



P. MORRISON.

KNOOKDOWN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1911. 1,083,850. Patented Jan.6,1914.

2 SHEETSPSHEET l.

van w COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

P. MORRISON.

KNOOKDOWN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1911.

Patented J an. 6, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W'fize'sses;

PUTNAM MORRISON, 0F CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

KNOGKDOWN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 19, 1911.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914. Serial No. 628,174.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PU'rNAM MORRISON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State ofTennessee, have invented new and useful. Improvements in KnockdownArticles of Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to knockdown articles of furniture and the like,such as kitchen safes, wardrobes, bookcases and other analogousstructures, and the primary object of the same is to improve thestructures disclosed by my prior Patents Nos. 894,033, July 21, 1908,906,909, December 15, 1908, and 918,352, April 13, 1909, and whereby thegeneral organization of elements is more effective in the production ofa strong and durable safe or like device.

A further object of the invention is to so arrange the different membersor elements and particularly the shelves and end panels as to positivelysupport the same and protect and inclose the end edges and maintain thelatter against displacement when assembled and also reinforce themagainst shrinkage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drawer as a part ofthe organization of the safe and so construct said drawer as to permitit to tilt when opened either in a downward direction without liabilityof separation from the article of furniture to render the contents ofthe drawer readily accessible or to permit the drawer to be tiltedupwardly to such an extent as to conveniently disengage the same fromthe article of furniture for cleaning purposes and in like positionreassemble the drawer with the article of furniture. The several partsof the improved knockdown article of furniture are also replaceable at asmall cost and may be originally produced at a minimum expense withobvious commercial advantages and without detracting from the necessarystrength and durability of the article of furniture.

In the accompanying drawings and as an illustration of one embodiment ofthe features of the invention a knockdown kitchen safe is shown, but itis understood that the same principles may be utilized in otheranalogous devices.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a safe broken away inparts and shown in section to illustrate the features of the invention.Fig. 2 illustrates perspective views of the parts of the safe, a portionof the parts being shown in section. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detailsection of portions of the safe shown assembled and particularlyillustrating the shelf end and panel extremity support and concealingmeans. Fig. at is a transverse vertical section through the upperportion of the safe showing a drawer therein in open position and tilteddownwardly. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the drawer tiltedupwardly.

The numeral 1 designates a front frame having openings for doors 2 andfor an upper drawer 3, the opening 4; for the drawer 3 having materiallygreater vertical extent than the height of the sides of the drawer for apurpose which will be presently explained. The doors 2 will be of anysuitable design and arranged to suit the taste and convenience of themaker in accordance with the design of the safe desired to be produced.The particular arrangement of the front frame 1 is not essential and maybe varied at will. The front frame includes corner posts 5 which extendthe full height of the safe and project below the bottom of the latterto provide front legs 6. Associated with the front frame 1 is a backframe 7 made up of suitable panels 8 and intersecting mullions as may bedesired and also having corner posts 9 which are duplicates inconstruction of the posts 5 and similarly projected at their lowerextremities to provide back legs. The front and back frames are suitablysecured to the posts 5 and 9, the latter being suitably grooved at theirinner edges, as shown by Fig. 2, as at 10 to receive the edges of thestructural elements or members of the two frames. The inner opposingsides of each pair of posts are also formed with grooves 11, one ineach, to receive the side edges of sliding panels 12, and the posts arealso transversely bored for the insertion therethrough of headed tierods 13. These tie rods 13 are used to draw the parts of the safe infirm assembled relation and may be readily withdrawn or inserted inplace, or when applied may be tightened to take up looseness of theseveral parts of the safe or other device.

At regular intervals throughout the vertical extent of the safe or atdifierent distances apart, as may be desired, shelves 14c are disposedand rendered accessible through the medium of the doors 2, the panels 12being arranged between the shelves. The

structure thus far described, with the exception of the opening 1 andthe relative proportions of the sides of the drawer 3, is disclosed bymy prior patents hereinbefore noted. The most essential feature of thepresent improvement is a means for supporting the shelves and the lowerends of the panels and concealing the shelf and panel ends and at thesame time separating adjacent ends of the panels so as to relieve saidpanel ends of direct contact and supporting pressure. This meansconsists of a concealing strip or batten 15, shown in de tail by Fig. 2and in enlarged section by Fig. 3. As shown by Fig. 1, three of thesecombined concealing or supporting strips or battens 15 are used, but itis obvious that their number may be varied in accordance with the numberof shelves used in the safe or other article of furniture. Each strip orbatten 15 has an inwardly projecting ledge 16, the outer portion of thestrip extending above and below the ledge in the form of covering orconcealing flanges 17. The ends of the shelves 14 are disposed on theupper edges of the ledges 16 and the lower edges of the panels 12 arecaused to bear on the upper portions of the extremities or ends of theshelves 1 1. The upper ends of the panels 12 bear against the loweredges of the ledges 16 and by this means the ends of the panels andshelves are fully concealed and positively supported, and. furthermore,the shelves at their ends are held firmly in contact with the ledges 16and prevented from warping or becoming displaced. Likewise the ends ofthe panels are strengthened by the interposition between the same of theledges 16 of the strips or battens 15 and after the several parts of thesafe or other article of furniture are tightened up through the mediumof the tie rods 13, the ends of the panels will also be held againstwar-page. Another advantage of this imoroved structure is that any oneof the shelves may be removed and permit the panel ends adapted toengage the same to bear directly upon the upper edge of the ledges ofthe correspond ing strips or battens 15 without in the least impairingthe organization and allowing the user to obtain more space betweenshelves as may be desired.

' As shown, the bottom shelf 1e will serve as the bottom closure for thesafe and instead of having the said bottom shelf resting upon thelowermost tie rod 13, the pressure and weight strain thereon are imposedupon the ledges of the lower strips or battens 15, in turn supported bythe legs of the front and back frames.

The opening 1 in the upper front portion of the frame 1 has a greatervertical extent than the sides of the drawer 3 as hereinbeforespecified, but the back 18 of the drawer is formed with an upperextension or provided with a top guard 19 which materially increases thevertical extent of the back part of the drawer and gives it a heightgreater than the height of the said opening a so that when the drawer ispulled out, the guard 19 will strike an upper cross-strip 20 on thefront frame and prevent the drawer from being fully withdrawn but permitit to tilt downwardly owing to the greater vertical extent of theopening 1- relatively to the vertical extent of the sides of the drawer.By this means the contents of the drawer are rendered easily accessibleand the drawer is less liable tojam or stick. The drawer may be removedfor cleaning purposes by tilting the same upwardly, as shown by Fig. 5,so as to cause the guard 19 or extended portion of the back 18 to clearthe crossstrip 20, and in reassembling the drawer with the safe it willbe in like manner disposed at an upward inclination so as to permit theextension or guard 19 of the back 18 to be inserted through the opening1.,

In assembling the parts of the safe the same operation is pursued asdisclosed in my patents hereinbefore noted with the exception that thestrips or battens 15 are introduced at intervals between the panel andshelf ends, the tie rods being left loose until the panels 12, strips orbattens 15, and shelves 14 are regularly 'introduced, and then the saidrods are tightened up to draw all the parts in close engagement andtight assemblage.

A removable top 21 is used in connection with the safe shown, said topbeing in all particulars similar in construction and arrangement to thatshown by my Patent No. 906,909, December 15, 1908.

In the event that any of the parts of the safe become broken or injuredthey may be readily replaced at a minimum expense. The form of safedescribed is also advantageous in that it may be shipped or stored inknockdown condition and assembled when desired with facility withoutrequiring the services of a skilled mechanic.

hat is claimed as new is:

A knockdown article of furniture com prising front and back frames, endpanels slidably inserted and readily movable between the opposite sidesof the front and back frames and forming end closures for the article offurniture, a plurality of shelves having the opposite ends thereofprojecting outwardly between the opposing ends of the panels, theshelves being shiftable into different positions within the article offurniture to modify the space between adjacent shelves, the panelshaving their lower ends bearing directly upon the upper surfaces of theopposite ends of the shelves, and supporting strips loosely andremovably interposed between the ends of the panels and shelves topermit adjustment of the shelves, the supporting strips having i11-wardly projecting ledges extending full length of the transversedistance of the article of furniture between the front and back frames,the uppermost ends of the panels bearing directly against the lowersides of the ledges of the strips and the shelves having the lowersurfaces of their end portions bearing directly upon the upper surfacesof the said ledges so as to remove the Weight strain of the shelves attheir ends directly from the upper ends of the panels beneath the same,the panels being held against vertical movement when the parts of thearticle of furniture are assembled and the shelves adjusted by meansengaging the upper portions of the uppermost panels, the outer portionsof the supporting strips completely covering the joints between theshelves and panel ends.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

PUTN AM MORRISON.

lVit-nesses E. H. CARNEs, A. M. CAROTHERS.

(topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

